Pakistan and the United States are working on a new agreement on the deployment of US military trainers in Pakistan and if this pact is made, Americans would be allowed to come back and train the Pakistani security forces in counterterrorism but in the minimum essential number.
The US administration announced withholding $800 million in military aid after Pakistan expelled well over 120 American military trainers in June this year as a mark of protest against the covert US military action in Abbottabad on May 2. After that the restoration of aid was linked to the redeployment of US military trainers in Pakistan and off late, the same offer was conveyed again to Pakistan through a US Senate delegation led by an influential Democratic Senator Carl Levin that visited Islamabad a couple of days ago and met President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and army chief General Ashfaq Kayani.
“Both the countries are trying to reach a fresh agreement on deployment of US military trainers again in Pakistan but this time in far less number than the earlier one. Islamabad has showed some flexibility in this regard and there is a likelihood that some understanding would be reached at soon between the two sides,” said a diplomatic source on Friday. However, he refused to give the number that was being pondered over.
He said Pakistan had no problem with the US citizens, who were in Pakistan for genuine reasons and it was only concerned about the dubious characters like CIA operative Raymond Davis. The source said the issue of military trainers had been a source of great tension between Islamabad and Washington and that matter, if resolved, could help settle the other contentious issues like differences on the drone attacks, presence of CIA network in Pakistan and travel restrictions against the US diplomats imposed by the Foreign Office.
Senator Casey asks Pakistan to curb Afghan explosives
WASHINGTON – A US senator visiting Islamabad on Friday said he was pressing Pakistan to reduce the flow of an explosives material used in roadside bombs that wound and kill hundreds of US soldiers in Afghanistan. Senator Robert Casey said in a conference call that his talks with civilian and military leaders as well as senators focused on having Pakistan implement its strategy to cut shipments of ammonium nitrate or fertilizer.
“I want to see their strategy implemented, and then we’ll be able to better assess it. But they have not implemented a strategy yet, and… that’s one of the reasons I’m over here,” Casey told reporters. But he added, “I think we made real progress impressing upon the Pakistani leadership our sense of urgency to get results on this strategy to reduce the flow of ammonium nitrate into Afghanistan.” AFP
If I were Pakistani, I would tell Senator Casey that Pakis would reduce the flow of weapons and explosives when the U.S. reduced the flow of drugs across the Mexican border. So far, the U.S. has seized more drugs but the amount flowing across the border has increased.
Is the man a fool? Casey, that is. Fortunately, I have never had the priviledge of meeting
this . . . .thing so I can't say from personal experience, but his written words indicate that he is.
Hermes Trismegistus
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